Carnegie Mellon University Football to Join Presidents’ Athletic Conference in 2014

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University football program will join the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) as an affiliate member for the start of the 2014 season.  The Tartans will maintain their three-game University Athletic Association (UAA) schedule with Case Western Reserve University, the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis. Case Western will join Carnegie Mellon as an affiliate member of the PAC.

"This is a landmark day for Carnegie Mellon athletics and our football program," said Carnegie Mellon Director of Athletics Susan Bassett. "Joining the PAC is an excellent opportunity for our football student-athletes and coaches. The PAC has a tradition of excellence on and off the football field. We are looking forward to competing at a high level with institutions that share similar academic and athletic philosophies with Carnegie Mellon."  

Prior to the inception of UAA football in 1990, Carnegie Mellon was a member of the PAC. The football program won seven conference titles during its time in the conference, the last coming in 1989 under the direction of current head coach Rich Lackner. As a player and assistant coach, Lackner was a part of the other six PAC champion teams.

"I have always had tremendous respect for the PAC and look forward to renewing many of our historic rivalries. Our players will have a chance to compete for two conference championships and an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship," Lackner said. "This is an outstanding day for Carnegie Mellon football."

Carnegie Mellon and Case Western will join the other nine schools that sponsor football in the PAC: Bethany College, Geneva College, Grove City College, Saint Vincent College, Thiel College, Thomas More College, Washington & Jefferson College, Waynesburg University and Westminster College.  The Tartans have faced each of these institutions throughout the program's 102-year history. Over the course of this timeframe, the Tartans have played two of these opponents more than any other, Washington & Jefferson (63 times) and Grove City (53 times). The Tartans and Grove City have met on the gridiron for the past 12 seasons. Against the nine PAC teams, Carnegie Mellon has an all-time record of 165-93-13.

With Case Western's move to the PAC alongside the Tartans, the annual matchup between the two teams will count towards both league standings.  Carnegie Mellon holds an all-time record of 26-15 against the Spartans with a 15-11 edge in the Academic Bowl, a game between two of the nation's top academic institutions.

Beginning with the 2014 season, both Carnegie Mellon and Case Western will have an opportunity to compete for both UAA and PAC championships. Both programs will be eligible for the automatic bid to the NCAA Championship through the affiliation with the PAC.

Chicago and Washington will join the newly-formed Southern Athletic Association (SAA) as football affiliate members, also beginning in 2014. All four schools will remain full members of the UAA in all other varsity sports.

Founded in 1955, the PAC continues its mission of promoting intercollegiate athletics and the pursuit of academic excellence. Consisting of 12 select private institutions (10 full members, two football affiliate members) in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, the PAC remains a unique organization in this day of high pressure intercollegiate athletics. With academics at the center of each member's philosophy, the PAC is built on the principle that an athletic program is a part of college life, but not an entity in itself. The PAC annually crowns champions in 19 sports (10 men, nine women).